PRESS RELEASES
March 28, 2014

An Adventure in Space and Time

An Unearthly Child

“A wonderful cast in service of a nimble script deliver a full-throated, heartfelt origin story of Doctor Who”The Hollywood Reporter

Street Date: May 27, 2014
Suggested Retail Price: BD & DVD combo pack $24.98 ($30.98 in Canada)
Length: Approx. 90 mins + bonus material / 3-disc set (2 DVD + 1 BD)

New York, NY – BBC Home Entertainment announces the release of An Adventure in Space and Time, available in a Blu-ray & DVD combo pack on May 27, 2014. Travel back in time over 50 years to witness the creation of an icon – the birth of Doctor Who at the BBC – with this touching film from award-winning writer and executive producer Mark Gatiss (SherlockDoctor Who) and director Terry McDonough (Breaking Bad) and executive producers Steven Moffat (Doctor WhoSherlock) and Caroline Skinner (Doctor WhoThe Fades).

In addition to the film, the combo pack includes the very first Doctor Who story, “An Unearthly Child.” ,” in its entirety.  Packed with bonus features, this combo pack is an origin story for the uninitiated and a love letter for the fans. An Adventure in Space and Time premiered in November 2013 on BBC AMERICA as part of the channel’s celebration of Doctor Who’s 50th Anniversary.  An Adventure in Space and Time is a co-production between BBC Cymru Wales and BBC AMERICA.

An Adventure in Space and Time is principally a human interest story you can enjoy even if you know nothing about Doctor Who,” says Mark Gatiss.  “You’ll see the story of some amazing people who come together under extraordinary circumstances to create this wonderful thing that is still with us today.”

What do you get when you mix C.S. Lewis with H.G. Wells, and sprinkle in a bit of Father Christmas? An alien Time Lord exploring space and time in a Police Box spaceship called the “TARDIS” (Time And Relative Dimension in Space).  On November 23, 1963, a television legend began when the very first episode of Doctor Who was broadcast on BBC One.  Actor William Hartnell (David Bradley, the Harry Potter films, Game of Thrones) felt typecast by a succession of tough-guy roles. Wannabe producer Verity Lambert (Jessica Raine, Call the Midwife) was frustrated by the TV industry’s glass ceiling for women. Both of them were to find unlikely hope and unexpected challenges in the form of a Saturday afternoon drama filled with time travel and monsters. Allied with a brilliant creative team, including novice director Waris Hussein (Sacha Dhawan, After Earth) and Head of Drama for the BBC Sydney Newman (Brian Cox, The Bourne Identity, X2: X-Men United), they went on to introduce the world to the longest running science fiction series ever. But all good things come to an end. How will Hartnell face leaving behind the part that has made him a hero to millions of children? And can the show survive without him?

Bonus Features:

  • The very first Doctor Who adventure, “An Unearthly Child,” on a bonus disc with its own bonus content (including “The Pitch of Fear,” a sketch starring Mark Gatiss and David Walliams (Little Britain) that takes a comedic look at the creation of Doctor Who)
  • “The Making of the Adventure” (a behind-the-scenes featurette hosted by Carole Ann Ford, the actress who played the First Doctor’s companion)
  • Deleted scenes
  • Reconstructions
  • “William Hartnell: The Original” featurette